


Cracks in Our Foundations

by The_Walking_Pies (orphan_account)



Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: Anxiety, Depression, F/F, Foster Care, Grief, Group Homes, mentions of child abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2014-05-30
Packaged: 2018-01-27 02:53:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1712327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/The_Walking_Pies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kim's parents die in a car accident when she's only twelve. She's sent to live in a group home where she meets people who will be with the the rest of her life. (AU) (Eventually Kim x Shego)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is taken from Foundations by Kate Nash

A pale birdish looking woman who had a fake smile picked her up from the house. It's just a house now.

"Have you packed your things?"

The small tween nodded.

"Very good, let's get going." Her voice dripped with artificial cheer.

The woman chatted the entire car ride, but the girl didn't respond. She just stared out the car window.

"Here we are. I'll help you with your things.

There was no response from the girl, she just continued to follow the woman. The building was an off white color and the grass in front was dry and brittle. Kid's toys littered the back and side yards. Kim hated it immediately.

"First things first, you need to meet with Ms. Martha."

They stepped inside and were greeted by an undecorated front hall. The woman turned right, so did the girl.

"She has a little office here, but the rest of the space if for the kids. Here we are, after you sweetie. She's expecting us."

Martha stood up and greeted them when they came in. "You must be Kim, please sit down." Martha was a short woman with dark brown skin and curly cropped hair.

Kim nodded and sat down compliantly. Her red hair was messy and black circles surrounded her eyes.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. Your parents will be sorely missed by the community. I'm sure Silvia has explained to you that we can't find any relatives able to take you in. So you will be staying here for the time being. Is that alright with you?" Another nod. "I know this is hard, I'm here if you need anything. If you just want to talk, I'm here for you. Why don't I introduce you to the other kids?"

She took Kim's bag from Silvia and led her into the living room. "The living room is where the children spend most of their time. There are all sorts of games, activities, and books. We have a scheduled tv time as well. Here we are. Don't be shy dear."

When they walked in, everyone turned to look. Kim aw nine children of varying ages, the youngest looked five while the oldest looked 17. There were three counselors who were wearing casual clothes in contrast with Martha's more professional looking clothes.

"Hey everyone, this is Kim Possible. She's twelve and will be staying with us for a while. Our counselors here are: Ms. Sarah, Ms. Zoey, Mr. Eli, and Mr. Drew." Martha nodded to each counselor as she said their names. Martha then proceeded to name all of the children and their ages. A blonde boy named Ron Stoppable looked familiar. Kim thought she'd seen him around school, but she never knew him very well or that he was in foster care.

Ms. Martha pointed at a young Hispanic teenager with wavy black hair and pale green skin. "And this is Sheila Gonsalvo. She's 13.

Sheila made a frustrated noise. "How many times do I have to say, call me Shego."

Martha gave her a look. "Sheila, your name is lovely."

"More like she-witch" one of the kids muttered.

"Watch it twerp." Shego snapped at him.

"Children please. Don't we want to make a good impression for our new family member?"

"Yes, ." They all said in unison, but with little enthusiasm.

Martha turned to Kim, "Do you want to introduce yourself?" Kim shook her head. "Alright, let me show you were you'll be staying."

___________

 

The room was small, but livable. There were two small dressers, a desk, and a bunkbed shoved in the back corner. The walls were a pale purple. One photograph was stuck on the wall, but otherwise the walls were bare.

"You'll be sharing this room with Sophia. She doesn't like heights, so she chose the bottom bunk. Hope that works for you. You've probably never shared a room before, just respect your roommate and her things. You can put your things in the left dresser. When you've finished you can stay in here for a bit or you can go into the living room. Please don't go outside the building without a counselor's permission. Oh and girl's bathroom is down the hallway to the right. Light's out at nine." Martha explained before leaving Kim to unpack.

Kim unzipped her suitcase and slowly took out the clothes. She folded them neatly and put them into the drawer. It's only been a week and she still can't believe it's real. They were a happy family and then she was being called into the principal's office at school. It was a freak accident they told her, the car malfunctioned and they lost control. These kinds of things happen to sad little orphans in movies, not her. Kim climbed up into the top bunk and pulled the blanket around her, even though it was only the afternoon. She started sobbing quietly, she didn't want to finish unpacking. It'll feel official if she unpacks.

"Are you okay?" Kim looked down and saw the blond boy, Ron, standing in her doorway.

She wiped her face and croaked, "Yeah."

"Do you want to see something?"

"Sure." She climbed down and Ron reached into his baggy pant pocket.

"It's supposed to be against the rules, so don't spread it around, but was nice and let me keep her." He brought out a small squirrel. "I found her abandoned as a baby and we've been together ever since. Say hi to Kim, Rita."

Rita waved at her.

"Aww she's adorable." Kim said. "Thank you, Ron."

"You're welcome." He smiled at her. "I've seen you around school."

"Yeah, I've seen you too. How long have you been here?"

"Since I was seven. Dad died and mom left."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm over it." He shrugged. Rita crawled back up to his shoulder and Ron left.

"Thank you." She called after him.

Rita and Ron waved back at her.

__________

 

 After talking to Ron, she felt a little better so she went to the living room. Kim sat awkwardly in an armchair and assessed the room. The walls were a cream color that show all of its age. The furniture was mismatched and worn. Despite the drab appearance, the children brought a lively air to the room. They all seemed happy to Kim, at least at the moment.  _I wonder how many of them lost their parents. Do they still think about them?_ She thought.

Everyone seemed to be occupied, and they didn't pay much attention to Kim. She noticed the pale green girl kept away from the other kids. Remembering her introduction, and how one of the teenagers had called her a she-witch, she wondered if Shego's bullied or the bully.

Mr. Eli called dinner and all of the kids went running. He lead Kim to the dining room. She was impressed by the size of the table and the amount of chairs around it. The counselors sat and ate with the kids.

"Don't worry, Ms. Zoey cooked tonight." Martha told them playfully. She turned to Kim and informed her that Ms. Zoey is the best cook in the house.

Dinner was chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans, everyone got the same thing. Almost everyone seemed cheerful, talking and laughing amongst themselves as they ate. It felt almost like home. Kim felt like she had a lump in her throat and it's all she could do not to cry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV change

           Not that she'd admit it, but Shego was intrigued by the new girl. They went to the same school after all, although Shego didn't think Kim recognized her. It's not like they'd ever talked, and Shego was a grade higher. Plus, they ran in different crowds. _Yeah different crowds; popular and friendly cheerleader and surly foster care freak._ At that thought, she quickly squashed the self pity. There was nothing more pathetic than self-pity. Still, she was surprised to see Kim here. Sure, she had heard about her parents, but rich and popular white girls didn't end up in foster care. Whatever, Kim would probably be adopted soon enough anyway. That didn't mean Shego couldn't keep tabs on her while she was here. Maybe it's a curiosity thing, maybe deep down she felt a little bit of pity for the younger girl. Why she didn't know, everyone here didn't have parents, at least not parents that could take care of them.  

Shego was frustrated when Ms.Martha's introduced them all to Kim. _Shego._ It wasn't that hard to remember, and much better than Sheila. Sheila was a child's name, Shego was strong. Ivan muttered "she-witch" when Shego corrected Ms. Martha. 

_"Fuck you."_ She thought, but aloud she used nicer words. Shego may not care about the stupid point system, but she didn't want to be grounded _again_. 

Besides that, the day was uneventful. It was business as usual for everyone else, and Kim spent the day sulking. Ron disappeared for a while, probably to show off his stupid squirrel. Yeah, that would cheer her up, _"I'm sorry you lost your parents, but here, look at my flea-ridden rodent."_  Idiot. 

Dinner was bland, like always. But it was better than starving, and all of the kids vacuumed it up. Except for Kim, she just picked at it. _Probably used to her fancy food._ She knew the thought was unfair, but she didn't care. At least Sophia was stuck with her, she wouldn't want her as a roommate. 

______

 The alarm clock woke her up at eight. Fucking annoying thing. It was a fucking Saturday, why did they have to get up at eight? Martha said something about keeping a regular sleeping schedule, blah blah blah. At least she got the room to herself. Like all of the other bedrooms, it had a bunkbed. But Ms.Martha had given up trying to give her a roommate a long time ago. The other children didn't know everything, but they knew enough to be afraid of her. Besides, the green skin advertised that something wasn't normal with her. That coupled with rumors ensured she'd never have to deal with a roomie.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "C'mon Sheila, time to get up."

"Shego. She- _go_ " She called back.

 "Okay Shego, you still have to get up."

With a sigh, Shego sat up. Her hair was sticking up everywhere, ugh the curse of curly hair. She jumped down from the top bunk with a thud. Time to get ready.

_____

 When she got into the living room, the kids and even some teenagers were gathered around the television. Saturday morning cartoons, of course. It was a tradition around here. Shego lazily sunk into the couch and looked around for a magazine. Ugh, they were watching a superhero cartoon, batman to be precise. She _hated_ superhero cartoons. How was losing your parents supposed to make you want to fight crime? And he was using all of his money to help a bunch of ungrateful people. All of these stupid heroes, fighting crime for free because of some tragedy. It was ridiculous. 

"Can't we put something else on?" She asked with a whine in her voice. "Superheros are the worst."

"Don't be a spoilsport, everyone else is enjoying it." Ron said.

"Self-righteous isn't a good color on you, buffoon." She snapped back.

"Leave him alone, he hasn't done anything wrong. Why don't you just leave if you hate it so much?" Kim intervened to Shego's surprise.

"Goody two-shoes." Shego muttered, but if Kim heard it, she ignored it. Well that was no fun. Shego gave in, and lounged in the chair. Besides she kinda liked Poison Ivy.

________

A couple hours later, Ms. Sarah broke up the group. “That’s enough TV, why don’t you all go play outside?”

Shego realized she’d been watching the cartoons for hours now and quickly picked up a magazine. So when the rest of the kids got up, they’d think she’s been reading the magazine the whole time. It seemed to work because as the kids filed out, no one commented. Shego got up, stretched, and started to head to her room.

“Shego, Ms. Martha’s talked to you about this before. Why don’t you go outside and be social?”

“I just spent a couple hours with the children.”

“Yes, reading a magazine while they watched TV. Not exactly social.”

The green teenager rolled her eyes and started walking away again.

“That wasn’t a suggestion. Go outside or find someone who wants to play inside.”

Shego growled and spun around to face the counselor.

“This is for your own good. No one wants to adopt a child who doesn’t play well with others.”

“Thanks for your touching concern. I think we all know no one wants me. So why don’t we stop pretending?”

“Outside.” The counselor ordered.  Shego slammed the door behind her.

__________

 

           Shego scowled. Outside was bright and boring. She sat underneath the tree and dug at the dirt with a stick. Looking around she saw no one was paying attention to her. With a deep breath, she held an end of the stick in either hand. She closed her eyes and concentrated on feeling the stick in her right hand. Her palm started heating up and her breath hitched in her throat. _It’s gonna work._ Her eyes opened and she looked down at the stick. Small green flames flickered from her hand and the stick. She expected a feeling of satisfaction, but all she felt was sick. _This was a fucking horrible idea._ She threw the stick to the ground and stomped on it. Shego sat back down and pulled her knees to her chest. _Weakling._  

Kim Freaking Possible of all people was the one to notice her. "Hey, Shego. Are you okay?" She asked.

"Isn't that a question I should be asking you? You being new to the Orphan Club and all. Want a pin?" 

Kim grimaced and started to walk away.

"Wait." Shego heard her mouth say before running it by her brain. "I'm sorry."

Kim turned back to Shego with a smile on her face. "It's okay. I already figured out you were kinda moody."

Shego sputtered, "Moody?! I've always thought of myself as a realist."

Kim sat down next to her, unaffected by the glare Shego shot her when she did.

"Don't we go to the same middle school?"

"Yeah. But it's a big school and you're a grade younger. I'm not surprised you don't know me.

"Oh. Well, we should be friends now."

Shego snorted. "Like it's that easy."

"It should be." Kim said earnestly.

That took Shego by surprise. "Maybe, Princess. But like I said, I'm a realist."

Kim's face split into a grin. "I think we're already friends."

"Oh really, you've decided for me?" She scowled but she couldn't keep the humor out of her voice.

"Yep. You already have a nickname for me and everything."

"Princess isn't a compliment."

"I'm ignoring that last sentence."

Shego laughed and for once in a long time, she felt happy. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it bad that I had more fun writing bitter Shego than grieving Kim?

**Author's Note:**

> Some changes to canon:  
> \- Shego has been "de-aged". And by that I mean she's only a year older than Kim for the sake of the story. Other canon characters may be subject to the "age ray".  
> \- Kim's brothers don't exist. It would complicate things too much.  
> \- Ron & Kim's timeline has been altered in this story.  
> \- Apparently I'm not alone in this, but I always thought of Shego as Hispanic. Since her full/real name was never said, I made one up for her.
> 
> Other notes:  
> I have no problems with foster parents or adopting. I think adopting and fostering children is great. I hope the impression you get from the group home is that most of the counselors are caring and try their best, but the home suffers from a lack of money. There's also going to be some mean foster parents, because well, not all foster parents are nice and what would an orphan story be without some mean foster parents. Also, I did some research, but I don't know a whole lot about group homes or foster care. If I get something wrong, feel free to correct me.
> 
> I have a bad habit of switching tenses. Sorry. Feel free to point out mistakes.


End file.
